Lane Kiffin in class by himself when it comes to college coach Twitter

Authentic, funny and timely, Lane Kiffin’s tweets long have put his social media game head and shoulders above his competition in the coaching ranks. 

In nearly 9,000 tweets since he created the account in 2010, the Ole Miss coach uses the medium to tweak other coaches, media, himself, anybody — even Nick Saban, Kiffin’s former boss at Alabama. 

In his second season in Oxford, Kiffin could teach a master class in trolling. And some of his best material pokes fun at Saban’s use of the phrase “rat poison,” meaning outsiders’ praise that could breed complacency. In another humorous subtweet three years ago, Kiffin referenced a Saban quote: “I don’t yell at my assistants very much at all.” Kiffin wrote, “Are these real quotes?” and included a Pinocchio emoji.

coach Nick Saban: “I don’t yell at my assistants very much at all…” Are these real quotes? I don't get upset at my coaches much??🤥 We tell our players to control their emotions during the game bc when emotions go up decision making goes down but…. RTR https://t.co/EurFYX2hzw

— Lane Kiffin (@Lane_Kiffin) January 7, 2018

The social media fun only adds to the buildup for one of the season-defining games Saturday when No. 12 Ole Miss visits No. 1 Alabama. Kiffin even took a jab on Twitter at ESPN’s decision to have the College GameDay crew visit Athens, Ga., for Arkansas-Georgia instead of Tuscaloosa, Ala. 

Make no mistake, Kiffin knows no one ever has done what Saban is doing now in the modern era. But he believes fans can be a little too serious, and he loves to see reactions from all corners of the SEC world as he pokes, tweaks and needles.

Kiffin, who has nearly 500,000 Twitter followers, said his involvement with the medium started years ago because of an NCAA rule that allowed coaches to direct message recruits on Twitter but restricted coaches from text messaging prospects or their parents.

“So it just kind of took off from there,” Kiffin told reporters. “I do enjoy the fan part. I think it’s comical when I jump on there and read things and how people react to things or the rumors that people write. It just gives people a platform to say and do whatever they want. I guess sometimes I do that, too. It allows me to kind of be a normal person on there.”

At SEC Media Days, Kiffin told a story that illustrates the passion fans have for anything involving the conference in which he competes. He’ll show his son, Knox, a tweet about something serious in the world but point out that it’s only been retweeted 20 times. Then he’ll show his son a non-serious tweet related to the SEC with hundreds of retweets. 

Kiffin said Saban’s assistant probably prints the tweets out for him, especially the ones he may not like. But it’s all in fun, said Kiffin, who harbors immense gratitude for how the three years under Saban resuscitated his career.

Saban isn’t the only high-profile coach who doesn’t use Twitter. Clemson’s Dabo Swinney, UCLA’s Chip Kelly, Texas A&M’s Jimbo Fisher and Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz are among other recognizable coaching names without a Twitter presence. For Saban at least, don’t expect that to change anytime soon.

“I’ve never been big with social media,” he said recently. “It takes a lot of time. You’ve got to respond to a lot of things. … If I thought it would enhance players’ chances to improve their brand by something I did, I’d be all for it.”

Here are the five college football coaches who best use their Twitter platform. Their personalities are all different, clearly, but if there is a common thread it is this: They each know when not to take themselves too seriously. 

1. Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss

Twitter account: @Lane_Kiffin (joined Twitter in January in 2010; more than 496,000 followers)

Kiffin will take on anyone, at least on Twitter. His ode to Father’s Day tweet this year, which involves a photoshopped Saban holding a photoshopped baby bearing the face of Kirby Smart, is something to behold. Few can get already-riled-up SEC fan bases even more in a fervor than Kiffin. In 2017 and ’18, he tweeted at LeBron James, urging him to come play for FAU, where Kiffin then was coach. He tweeted a March Madness bracket and pretended he picked 16th-seed UMBC to upset top-seeded Virginia. Last week, he got the Internet all in a tizzy. Kiffin, once famously fired from USC on the airport tarmac, tweeted a “Welcome to Los Angeles” sign, leading to wild speculation that he may be interviewing for the USC job. But he was merely on a recruiting trip. Kiffin is well on his way to becoming the GOAT among coaches who tweet — if he manages to avoid the dreaded rat poison.

2. James Franklin, Penn State

Twitter account: @coachjfranklin (joined Twitter February 2011; about 256,000 followers)

There is a reason Franklin’s name is often mentioned in connection to high-profile jobs, both in college and the NFL. In addition to his coaching credentials, Franklin is personable, passionate and relates well to young athletes. On his Twitter account, there are several constants that Franklin hits on. He often highlights the incredible game-day atmosphere in Happy Valley. He spotlights videos of Penn State alums who are thriving in the NFL. And the Bucks County native salutes high school football throughout Pennsylvania. But that’s not all. Before the Auburn game, he had a nice interplay with Halls, the throat lozenge company, offering to buy Halls for every fan who lost their voice during Penn State’s annual “White Out” game. He’ll tweet quotes from Winston Churchill, Warren Buffet and others. Franklin also has tweeted photos of time with his daughters. 

3. Mike Leach, Mississippi State

Twitter account: @Coach_Leach (joined Twitter in April 2011; about 373,000 followers)

Leach’s Twitter presence is exactly what you would expect. A conversation with Leach is bound to run the spectrum of topics, perhaps touching on history, culture, politics and maybe even some college football. His Twitter account reflects that sort of topical whiplash induced by one of the most interesting coaches around. Consider these gems just in the past few months: He tweeted about a story about the Massachusetts lobster diver surviving after being swallowed by a whale. He retweeted someone who told a story about giving the name “Spartacus” when ordering in a Starbucks, so when his name was called, he could stand up and yell, ”I am Spartacus.” And, oh, let’s not forget about college football: In May, he tweeted that he’d love to see a bowl game in Dubai or Abu Dhabi. Leach has gotten in trouble on Twitter, most notably with a tweet in April 2020 about COVID-related quarantine depicting a woman knitting a noose for her husband. He publicly apologized for the tweet and was reprimanded by Mississippi State AD John Cohen.

4. Sam Pittman, Arkansas

Twitter account: @CoachSamPittman (joined Twitter in February 2013; about 101,000 followers)

One of the keys to Twitter is authenticity, and Pittman has that in spades. After 30 years as an offensive line coach, he cried when Arkansas introduced him as its coach in December 2019. He’s an affable, real, self-described “big guy” who understands the need to stay relevant. “And it’s difficult,” he told reporters. “I have an Instagram account, but I don’t know how to get on it. Twitter, I’m pretty good at Twitter. … Our assistant coaches, our young guys, they kind of teach me some of that stuff. To stay relevant, it’s really just trying to find out from the kids what’s important. If it’s important to them, then it’s damn sure important to me.” And if there is a coach’s Twitter account to follow this season, this is it. The No. 8 Razorbacks, having already beaten Texas and Texas A&M, are fast becoming the story of the year. While Pittman may be dating himself just a bit with his catchphrase “Turn that damn jukebox on!” it’s certainly high times in Fayetteville these days.

5. Nick Rolovich, Washington State

Twitter account: @NickRolovich (joined Twitter in April 2012; about 40,000 followers)

You may know Rolovich, the second-year Washington State coach, as the guy who has declined to get vaccinated for reasons he has not disclosed. In fact, his July statement regarding that issue is atop his Twitter account. But take a deep dive into the account and you’ll likely gain a broad appreciation for Rolovich. In an age of cookie-cutter coaches and contrived social media posts, Rolovich is interesting and philosophical. He retweeted a rock climber’s 17 lessons of life (the only things that matter, for instance, are relationships and experiences). He retweeted nine habits of highly successful athletes. And he retweeted a slew of tweets from Washington State fans, including a U.S. Army retiree in Germany. He tweeted out a story that details how his family’s roots go deep with Joe DiMaggio. Among his most amusing tweets was one in which he wrote “What a great day” before listing the weather forecast in Pullman (88 degrees and clear skies) versus the dank, rainy forecast for Seattle. He also came to his school’s defense in a contest crowning the best Northwest Pac-12 mascot. 

Honorable mention: Geoff Collins, Georgia Tech; Sonny Dykes, SMU; Mike Locksley, Maryland; Gary Patterson, TCU; Mel Tucker, Michigan State.